| Blagojevich budget proposal would cut both Amtrak trains to Quincy |
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Published: 6/26/2008 | Updated: 1/23/2009
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is threatening to eliminate $28 million in subsidies for Amtrak routes to and from Chicago, including the two trains connecting with Quincy, as part of $1.5 billion in proposed reductions to balance the state budget.
The cuts would hit all facets of state government and touch the lives of many Illinois residents unless the governor and legislators find another solution.
From gutting Amtrak train subsidies to delaying health care provider payments, Blagojevich’s planned cuts would go deep in some areas to repair a budget for the year starting July 1 he says is $2 billion out of whack.
Illinois has four state-supported Amtrak routes from Chicago — to St. Louis, Carbondale, Quincy and Milwaukee.
If the state decided to eliminate its Amtrak contract, both Quincy trains would be cut. Three of five trains between Chicago and St. Louis would be cut. Two of the routes are not state-supported. Also facing cancellation are two of the three trains that run from Chicago to Carbondale.
“We’re still operating, and we continue to operate,” said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari.
Ridership on the Quincy routes for this fiscal year, beginning in October, shows that 148,609 passengers have been on the Quincy-to-Chicago trains — an increase of 25,637 riders (21 percent) versus the same period last year.
Magliari says all state supported routes are up about 20 percent.
The Milwaukee route is the most popular, followed by St. Louis, Carbondale and Quincy. More than a million people have used the four routes since October.
“We continue to handle large numbers,” said Magliari.
That can, at least in part, be attributed to the rising cost of gasoline.
Ross Capon of the National Association of Railroad Passengers is sarcastically calling the proposed funding cuts “a great way to respond to $4-a-gallon gasoline.” Capon says any threats to cut Amtrak service are ill-timed.
Jonathan Goldman, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, said he met Wednesday afternoon with Blagojevich officials to get answers about cuts he’s concerned about, including train service.
He said his group was told it should lobby lawmakers to spare the cuts.
“I’m not prepared to be a pawn in this game,” Goldman said. “It’s the governor who’s making these cuts, not the legislators.”
Blagojevich laid out the doomsday of cuts Tuesday to pressure the House to send him revenue-generating ideas already approved by the Senate that would fill much of the budget hole.
The governor is giving them until July 9 to do so. House leaders say they aren’t inclined to come back right away and try to pass budget ideas that have significant problems.
Health care providers would see some of the biggest cuts under the governor’s plan.
He wants to slash $600 million from health care programs, including $530 million geared toward ensuring providers get paid for serving Medicaid clients within an average of 70 days. That will climb to 90 days or more with the cut, and Peters predicts it could cause a financial crunch and put health care access at risk in some areas.
Rape prevention and domestic violence services would be cut. State agencies would have fewer personnel. Seniors and veterans programs would be trimmed. Social service providers serving the developmentally disabled and mentally ill would have less money.
Colleges and universities were in line for a nearly 3 percent increase under the budget lawmakers passed but would see more than $100 million taken back under Blagojevich’s plan. A spokesman for the Illinois Board of Higher Education says the schools will talk to lawmakers about the fallout but are used to getting by with less state money.
“The higher education community has been accustomed over the last few years to dealing with very tight budgets,” board spokesman Don Sevener said. “Institutions and agencies will make do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
— dadam@whig.com/221-3376
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